Version Control: Document Name: Version: Version 1.0 Author: Approved by: Corporate Support Manager Management Board/Executive Committee Date Approved: Review Date November 2016
Introduction The aim of this is to ensure as far as possible the continuation of services provided by Barrow Borough Council in case of a major disruption. For the purpose of this plan a major disruption is defined as an incident or event that disrupts the delivery of Council services and requires contingency action to be taken. Major emergencies which impact on the safety of people will be dealt with by the Cumbria Resilience Unit. The Council has duties and responsibilities under the Civil Contingency Act but they are not included in this plan. Purpose of the Plan To provide visibility of the Council s arrangements for the continuation of services in case of a major disruption. To identify the Council s critical functions and activities and provide a prioritised and timely response to recovering service delivery if there is a major disruption. Identify key roles, responsibilities and contacts to ensure we maintain service delivery if there is a major disruption. Activation of the Plan In the event of a major disruption the Executive Director will make an initial assessment of the situation and determine whether to convene a meeting of Management Board and other officers. If the is to be activated, Management Board will assign emergency roles to officers as required. Premises and Access to Systems In the event of the Town Hall or other being incapacitated alternative accommodation for employees will be provided in the sports hall at the Park Leisure Centre. The Council has installed a microwave link between the offices of Optech IT Services and the Town Hall, and purchased wireless equipment for links to the others venues. This option includes using a wireless link between the Leisure Centre and Optech office, then onwards to the Town Hall. This provides connectivity to enable disaster recovery plans to be implemented if there was an event which prevented us operating from the Town Hall. The Optech offices are hosting a replicate Storage Area Network (SAN) and there will be real time transfer of data from the SAN in the Town Hall to the SAN in the Optech offices. This has replaced the tape backup arrangements. This will also
provide additional data storage capacity and we will be able to retain data for seven weeks compared to the current four week retention period. Essential staff from the Town Hall, Lake House, Forum and the Cemetery will be able work from the Leisure Centre with full access to the Council s network. There are a limited number of power points in the sports hall but they will be adequate for bringing critical services back on line. There aren t any Local Area Network points in the sports hall and the IT service will set up network switch cables as required. These cables are readily available. The Council will maintain a small stock of thin client VDI units and monitors at the Park Leisure Centre to minimise the delay to service recovery. If required additional systems will be procured during the first day of recovery. A small quantity of office furniture will be stored in Craven House which can be retrieved at short notice. Service managers will carry out risk assessments of temporary working. Telephony IT Services will contact the telephony provider and transfer the switchboard number (876543) to a telephone point at the Leisure Centre. Mobile devices and the Leisure Centre phones will be used for outgoing calls. Prioritisation In the event of a major disruption it is unlikely that the Council will be able to provide a full range of services immediately so there is a to prioritise service delivery. A structured approach has been adopted and the following system of prioritisation has been agreed. Priority 1: Services and operations that directly impact on the wellbeing of people in the Borough Priority 2: Services and operations that impact on the statutory and discretionary functions of the Council. Priority 3: Services that are mainly internal and will not have a significant impact on residents. Each function has been assessed and the potential impact on customers has been identified. A proposed for recovery has been agreed and in some cases actions to mitigate the impact have been put in place. A support package including alternative, data and systems s and additional staff s have been identified. The responsible officer and deputies (in brackets) have been identified.
Critical Function Identification and Process Priority 1: Management Board Executive Director (Director of Resources) Management Board will be required to consider the impact on critical services and re-deploy resources as appropriate. 24 hours. Management Board consists of five senior managers and meet regularly to ensure all are up-to-date with the services across the Council. Any with telephone facilities. Members of Management Group as required. Priority 1: Payment of Housing Benefits Director of Resources (Financial Services Manager) HB recipients may be unable to pay rent which may compromise their tenancies. Payments are created at Sheffield by Liberata. BACS support is available from supplier and at the bank. payment arrangements can be made available. File transfer from Sheffield initiated by the Council. BACS transmission software. Authorisation card reader. IT Support Officer may be required to initiate the systems. Priority 1: Homeless/Tenancy Service Assistant Director Housing (Housing Operations Manager) Families may not have accommodation. An out of hours emergency service is currently in operation. Bed and breakfast accommodation is available and a list is held by housing department staff. Housing systems can be accessed via the backup servers. IT Support Officer.
Priority 1: Household Refuse Collection Service Assistant Director Community Services (Street Care Manager) Health risk from accumulating rubbish. Service is provided by external contractor who has contingency plans in place. Adverse weather plan waste collection plan in place. Any venue with internet access and vehicle storage facility. CRM service for reporting fly-tips and dead animals. Will be provided by the contractor. Priority 1: Provision of Burial and Cremation Service Assistant Director Community Services (Cemetery and Crematorium Manager) Health risk from delayed burials/cremations. Emergency burial and cremation plan in place. The burial and cremation software system is remote from the Town Hall. The burial and cremation software system can be accessed via the backup servers. Priority 1: Customer Relationship Management Director of Resources (Corporate Support Officer) Residents are unable to contact the Council. Service is provided by external contractor who has contingency plans in place. Staff will migrate to PLC to access network. Excelsior software. These will be provided by the contractor.
Priority 1: Environmental Health: Food safety, Infectious Diseases, H&S Complaints and Accident Investigations Environmental Health Manager (Senior Environmental Health Officer - Noise; Senior Environmental Health Officer - Food; Senior Environmental Health Officer - H&S and Licensing) Health risks failure to meet statutory response times. Procedures are available on Council servers. Flare and Council servers. Equivalent officers from other local authorities and consultants. Access to these resources is currently being investigated. Priority 1: Building Control Building Control Manager (Building Control Surveyor) Potential risk from dangerous structures which may need inspecting. Offsite using mobile devices Northgate software and Council servers. Priority 1: IT Services Corporate Support Manager (IT Team Leader) Access to the Council s network is required to facilitate recovery of others key services. Council servers.
Priority 2: Environmental Health: Health & Safety and Licensing Environmental Health Manager (Senior Environmental Health Officer - H&S and Licensing) on the local economy. 7 days. Northgate software. Priority 2: Development Control Services Development Services Manager (District Planning Officer) on local economy. Offsite using mobile devices. Northgate software and Council servers. Priority 2: Democratic Services and Facilities for Council Meetings Democratic Services Manager Lack of facilities for Councillors and decision making committees. Any venue with conference facilities. Council servers.
Priority 2: Housing Tenancy Services, Maintenance and Business Support Assistant Director Housing (Housing Maintenance Manager) Delay in essential repair works. Re-housing s in severe circumstances. An out of hours emergency service currently operates. Any venue with internet access. Offsite using mobile devices. For emergencies the relevant contractor will be contacted by phone. For business as usual the Council s network and housing systems will be required. Will be provided by the contractor. Priority 2: Household Recycling and Green Waste Collection Service Assistant Director Community Services (Street Care Manager) Increase in residual household waste. Loss of income to the Council. Service is provided by external contractor who has contingency plans in place. Any venue with internet access and vehicle storage facility. CRM service for reporting fly-tips and dead animals. Will be provided by the contractor. Priority 2: Streetcare Services including Dog Control Assistant Director Community Services (Street Care Manager) Health risk from accumulating rubbish. Services are provided by external contractors but some monitoring of service is required. Offsite using mobile devices. CRM service, Flare, Council Servers.
Priority 2: Financial Services and Accounting Financial Services Manager (Accountancy Services Manager) Financial viability of the Council. 7 Day. Critical payments can be made by the Director of Resources offsite. Payroll is provided by a Bureau. Council Servers, Oracle, BACS server, Income Management Systems. Priority 2: Council Tax and NNDR Director of Resources (Financial Services Manager) Reduction in income. Direct debit collection files are created by a contractor who will have their own plan in place. These files are collected by the Council, so file transfers will still be required. Payments can be made online and through the bank. Cheques sent in the post could be redirected to the Council Servers, Income Management Systems, Oracle. Priority 2: Human Resources Director of Resources (Human Resources Manager) Staff related issues. Temporary staffing s depending upon the nature of the service disruption. Council Servers, HR System.
Priority 2: Cultural Services Assistant Director Community Services (Venue managers) Wellbeing of the public. Reduction in income. The venues are in different locations and it is unlikely all of them will be affected. Council Servers, Oracle, Venues own systems. Priority 2: Market and Town Centre Management Assistant Director Community Services (Town Centre & Festivals Manager) Impact on local economy. Market attendants are on-site to maintain the facilities. Council Servers. Priority 3: Corporate Services Director of Resources (Corporate Services Manager) Delay in delivering corporate support services. 30 Days. Any venue with internet access. Council Servers. Priority 3: Internal Audit Director of Resources (Head of Internal Audit) Delay in delivering the audit plan. 30 Days. Service can be delivered offsite if required. Offsite using mobile devices. Council Servers.
Priority 3: Electoral Services (this will become a priority 1 service during the Purdah period, notice of election and when required to publish the register) Executive Director (Democratic Services Manager) Delay in maintaining electoral register. 30 Days. Service can be delivered offsite if required. Offsite using mobile devices. Council Servers. Priority 3: Local Plan Assistant Director Regeneration and Built Environment (Development Services Manager) Delay in delivering the Local Plan. 30 Days. Service can be delivered offsite if required. Offsite using mobile devices. Council Servers. Testing The technical aspects of the system will be tested on a six monthly basis to ensure the plan can be activated. Information and Publicity Information will be cascaded to staff via members of Management Board. The Executive Director will be responsible for ensuring that the leaders of political groups are kept informed of any developments. The Corporate Support Division will be responsible for external communications. Record Keeping The manager of each service is responsible for ensuring that appropriate records are kept of all decisions and transactions. Availability of the Plan The plan will be published on the Council s intranet. Updating the Plan The plan will routinely be reviewed on a biennial basis but there may be additional updates as required.